Forums >Off the Beaten Path>Orb Weavers
They've been here for a while now, but now they have gotten huge. My favorite spider, but, man, you have got to be careful if you're the first one on the trail in the morning. Today I got so freaked out, I ran on the road. I ran into a web, and didn't realize I picked up a little traveler. Ewwww!
When they are threatened, they curl up into a little ball and make themselves very small. You can easily get them off at that point, but, it can be pretty frightening all the same. You never want to hurt these guys, they just look freaky, but they will almost never bite a human.
- Anya
I have a few of these around my house, freaks out the kids, but I don't want to destroy their beautiful webs. Its amazing how big those webs can get, one of them is about 10-12 ft in diameter
We have them all over this time of year.
I normally try to avoid them but they like to build their webs in trees or bushes ( not to mention the windows of your house!!) They can be hard to see, and I too hate destroying their webs. They are simply amazing.
I 'll run with my hand out if it's still too dark to see. That's the worst , running into a web and not being able to see.
rectumdamnnearkilledem
Ack, I have nightmares about being the first on a mountain biking trail and buzzing through one of these. *shudder* I think they are way cool, but I think I'd rather endo before giving myself a face-full of web and potentially having an 8-legged freak somewhere on my person.
*sigh* *preparing to wake in a cold sweat and paranoid about crawly things*
Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to
remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.
~ Sarah Kay
not bad for mile 25
A couple of years ago I ran straight into one in the dark pre-dawn. It was awesome. The spider didn't think so, but she didn't come along with me for the ride. Got home to find a perfect record of the web on my glasses.
I highly recommend John Crompton's The Life of the Spider. Out of print, but available used. His description of web building in terms of a human feat is greatly entertaining.
I must admit, I am sorta fond of the Crack Spider.
hmmmm.. this was blocked by my employer. darn
Everyone thinks I'm a spider expert. I'm not. I will have to check this out. I heard their webs are stronger than steel.
I also heard that when you see a house spider, that you should never put it outside. They are house spiders. They were always there, and never outside, so don't put them outside.
Oh roo roooo!
You really really need to check the crack spider thing at home, then, as it is hilarious--brother-in-law sent it to me several years ago and every so often I have to go look at it again b/c it just amuses me no end.....
DS is convinced that there's really such a species as Crack Spider after we told him years ago that the spiders that live around the crevices of our house are Crack Spiders (because they live in tiny cracks). He's 11 and still doesn't get the joke when DH and I bust out laughing every time he rants about all the "Crack Spiders" lurking in his bedroom!
I saw it!
Freaking hilarious!!!!!!!
"I believe you can get me through the n-eye-height"....ALL DAY, thanks to this thread...ALL DAMN DAY!!!!!
Come all you no-hopers, you jokers and roguesWe're on the road to nowhere, let's find out where it goes
I've got a copy of that on my bookshelf, also "The common spiders of the United States" by James H. Emeton- old book and probably the taxonomy has changed, but fun to read. Spiders are fascinating creatures. A couple of my favorites are the alpine jumping spiders- they have neat colorful patterns on their bodies -jumping spiders have I think the best vision in the bug world-and the Goldenrod spider ( has a Japanese genus name, I forget what) has cool lightning stripes and changes color-green to yellow- depending on what color flower it is on- lives in Trillium floweres here in the PNW (we call it the Trillium spider)-its' legs look just like flower stamens.